TATAR DIPLOMACY

Looking at their past Russians say that Peter the Great made a first opening in the wall that had separated them from the rest of Europe. Today, Tatarstan aims at achieving the same. To talk about Tatar diplomacy is not anymore an overstatement; it is now a fact of life. Timur Akulov, State councilor of the President and head of the Department of Foreign Relations of the Republic of Tatarstan, spoke to «Ogoniok» about the ways and means deployed by Tatarstan in its conquest of the world.

TATAR DIPLOMACY

— People in general will agree that external policies are a governments prerogative, which means of the federal government in Russia. If this is so, what is it that you do then? Why this independent Tatar diplomacy?

— There is no such diplomacy, but a paradiplomatic activity. Our role is to contribute to an international image of Tatarstan that would be in line with our interests.

Over the last ten years, I think we have reached a situation where the international community has de facto recognized Tatarstan. From a purely legal point of view we are not within the jurisdiction of international law, but many states have some form of relationship with us. We are happy to be known and well received in these countries, and we are careful not to do it to the prejudice of Russian federal policies. This may be why we are recognized in the first place, because we stick unconditionally to our three rules: first, we shall do no harm to ourselves; second, we shall do no harm to our working partners; third, we shall do no harm to the Russian Federation.

— How is then your relationship with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia?

— It is a good one now, but it used to be different. When Kozyrev was heading the ministry, we did not have any relations at the top at all. In my opinion, at that time Russian foreign policy was mostly counter-productive. We did not have many valid arguments in its favor to offer to our foreign partners. And it would have been unethical and stupid to criticize the government of our own country. As long as there was nothing we could do, such criticisms would have served no good purpose. Those who took over from Kozyrev had a much better understanding of the fact that provinces could contribute substantially to national policies. This helped us to develop a more constructive relationship with the Ministry, mostly through consultations. I am quite happy with it now.

As of late, we did not have any conflicts with Moscow over diplomacy related matters. Minor hiccups do happen. Some of our officials on a foreign tour may sign some agreement or document beyond the scope of their authority. Naturally, the ministry will issue a formal protest. If and when this happens, we see to it that all is sorted and brought into conformity with Russian and international laws.

Our foreign partners have the same attitude and expect from us nothing short of full and consistent loyalty to the federal government and its policies. I may disagree with some of the attitudes of the central authorities and I am willing to discuss them with the Ministry's officials, but I certainly would not want to play politics or to spread an image of a rebellious Tatarstan in turmoil. This would be against our interests.

— What are the benefits that these international contacts bring?

— They are quite important. Better international exposure makes Tatarstan more attractive. What do you learn about Russia from CNN? Almost all the news is about wars, corruption or trials. Whenever they show Russian cities you can always see some policemen with Kalashnikovs, as if a state of emergency had been declared in the country! Based on western coverage alone, it is easy to believe that Russia is about to collapse; would anyone want to come and do business in such a country? We, on the contrary, go there and tell them that Russia, and Tatarstan, is in good shape. And we organize visits for officials at different levels, leading eventually to trips by heads of administrations and presidents.

Summits in general are like a political «protection» for businesses. I know these words bring racket to memory, but it is an accurate translation of the reality. When they first come to Kazan, businessmen are sometimes scared to venture beyond the lobby of their hotel. I suggest that they go for a walk down the main street, and they argue: «But is it safe enough? We will get mugged!» After a while though, realizing that streets don't teem with thugs, they relax, go out until the early hours and make jokes about past fears.

In my mind, our international activities should first of all help to create an image of Tatarstan as a member of a federal state. Being a member of a federation does not preclude Tatarstan from being a state in its own right, and this in turn does not mean that we do not want to be part of the federation of our own free will.

— What was the first foreign country to establish relations with you?

— It was Turkey. Our first summits were with Turkey too. As is the generally accepted norm, our President only travels outside of the country at formal invitations. Since 1992, he never traveled in his private capacity, only when a ministry, or a government of a foreign country invited him. His last trip was to Sweden, at the invitation of its prime minister.

— Are you primarily west- or east-oriented?

— We have interests everywhere, and we cannot concentrate exclusively on relations with the West. First, there are no markets there for our products other than raw materials. So we have to look elsewhere to help our industries to find buyers. We don't want to be a one commodity oriented exporter; we must sell machinery and other equipments and not just oil. Second, the West is mostly Christian while we are to a large degree a Muslim republic. This makes it easier for us to deal with and to establish ourselves on markets in the Middle East. There is a potential for us there, since the Russian Federation has abandoned it completely a while ago.

The same is true about certain ex-socialist countries where all the military and the economy, if not their entire life, were geared in tune with Soviet standards and production. After the collapse of the USSR, these countries still needed maintenance, spare parts and replacements for their Soviet made assets, but at the federal level, Russia did not pay any attention to it. We did. Which is one of the reasons why some people believe that Tatarstan is helping rogue states. We have indeed certain agreements with Iraq and Libya, and we do have a reasonable relationship with Iran and some other countries that worry the international community. But why shouldnt we? Whats wrong with dealing with Iraq? As long as we strictly respect the sanctions imposed by the United Nations, as is agreed with the ministry of foreign affairs of Russia, whats wrong with finding legitimate business opportunities there?

On my visit to Iraq, I had a meeting with the minister of economy, who also happened to be Husseins son-in-law; incidentally, later on Saddam Hussein had him executed. Well, what I mean is that during our conversation he produced a thick file of contracts Iraq had signed with a multitude of oil companies, and I could see that not a single Russian firm had been retained, even though companies from places like Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Colombia or Madagascar were there, fronting for American, French or German oil giants. Who are thus routinely pillaging Iraqs riches. It is indeed a reap off if you consider that under the terms of UN sanctions, a mandatory discount of 6 dollars per barrel is to be applied to all Iraqs oil sold to the United States. Iraq needs help, but Russia has in fact let it down.

— So you have picked up what Russia has dropped. To do exactly what? What are you offering to these rogues?

— We have many options, all legitimate ventures within the scope of the sanctions. We are prospecting new fields, and we supply food against oil. We are still in the early stages though, learning how to do business there. In Iraq you have to understand Arab mentality and many other subtleties, and you also have to keep in mind all the rules imposed by the UN committee on sanctions. In Iran, another «forbidden territory», it is more or less the same story. We have also made our first steps in the UAE, but it doesn't feel like an easy start.

— How about your local companies, do they get in touch with you when they venture outside?

— They certainly do. We offer them advice and more practical help; if needed, our experts from the American, Asian or African desks get involved. It is our primary duty to offer paradiplomatic assistance to any company that has secured a foothold in some foreign country. This is why we are here; this is how we contribute to the economic interests of Tatarstan.

— With such a diversity of diplomatic activities you need plenty of staff. How do you recruit enough qualified people?

— It is not impossible to find people with the right qualifications. For the applicants, having a diploma of the diplomatic academy or of the foreign relations college of Moscow is Definitely an Advantage. Under our internal regulations, good knowledge of at least two foreign languages, Russian, Tatar and languages of other CIS countries not included, is a mandatory requirement. Sufficient diplomatic experience is also a must; but we dont mind in which capacity applicants learnt the ropes, be it in military service, foreign affairs, foreign trade or counter-intelligence. Because of the nature of our profession, diplomats must possess certain qualities. Those who do are always welcome to join our staff.

The problems we have are related to rotations at our 18 missions abroad. Like right now, our man in France has already completed 7 years on duty, and yet we cannot afford to replace him because we will lose pace. This is what happened when we sent a fresh replacement to Uzbekistan: at least one year after that was wasted. Through no fault of our man; it is just that it takes time to familiarize with the local situation, to pay visits to all the various officials who count, and to have informal chats over a shared pilaf with all the right people. After a year, these efforts begin to bear fruit: you have your contacts and they are willing to deal with you. To achieve this is more like a routine if you are an official agent with credentials from your state; in our case, since we are restricted to paradiplomatic representation of a member of a federation, it is more of a challenge that requires special skills.

— With eighteen missions throughout the world, do you think you have achieved enough or do you have more ambitious plans for your future foreign relations?

--Given our status, it is inappropriate to speak of foreign relations; we think in terms of international activities. And I think that we have achieved enough, to push for more could do more harm than good. Our missions in other countries are there to facilitate business contacts and thus help our economy, not to parade whatever sovereignty we may have; so there must be a good potential before a new mission could be considered.

--Don't you think that this type of independent activity is detrimental to federal unity or, even worse, that it could cause the collapse of the Federation?

— Nothing of what we do is in violation of any single federal law, and cannot therefore harm the Federation or coerce it into a confederation. Moreover, as, I have no doubt, all the other members of the Federation, we want to promote a self-sustainable economy for Tatarstan, but, we dont covet political independence on top of it, not at this point in time.

Dmitri AKSENOV